Belt-tightener for conveyers.



J. H. & A.. E. GILMAN.

BELT TIGHTENER FOR coNvEYERs.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7. |917- Patented Apr. 8, 1919 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. H. A. E. GILMN.

BELT TIGHTENER FOR CONVEYERS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. |917.

15,299,701, Patented Apr. 8,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

-ourrun starts Parana orrios.

JOHN H. GILMAN AN D AIIBlliBiI E. GILlVI HAMILTON COMPANY, OF OTTAW To all whom t may Be it known that we, and ALBERT E. GILMAN,

and residents of Ottawa, in

United States, the county of La S AN, OF OTTAWA, n A, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO KING &

BELT-TIGHTENER FOR CONVEYERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 8, 19,19.

Application led March 7, 1917. Serial No. 153,122.

concern.'

JOHN H. GILMAN citizens of the alle and State of Illinois,

have inventedcertain new and useful lmprovernents in ers, of which Belt-Tighteners for Conveythe following is a full, clear,

and eXact specication.

invention Our with belt tighteners is concerned primarily for corn-cob stackers and similar devices where an endless conveyer-chain, or chains, carrying scrapers, is

run through a trough and lower end thereof, novel forni of belt found by experience is USGS.

driven from the and is .concerned with a tightener which we have best adapted for such which the saine reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the figures, of

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a portion of one end of a corn-shelling machine with a cob-stacker having our iniproved belt tighte ner applied thereto Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the upper end of the stacker, on

scale an enlarged Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the same, with the return trough removed, it

being substantially in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

"We have shown to a corn-Sheller,

our invention as applied in which 10 is the main frame, in one end of which a verticallymounted driven shaft 11 rotates.

Suitably mounted on a bracket 12 so that the discharge end the cobs into the stacker, which of the cob-screen 13 will deliver hopper 14, is the cobconsists primarily of a sheetbest shown in metal trough 15 of the shape cross section in ig. 4. This trough 15 has shaft 17, which is j 18 extending upwardly 19, which is secure ournaled in a pair of ears from the cover plate d on the supporting stud WB anl'leX bracket 12 through the shaft 11 has suitably clutched on its lower end a sprocket pinion 21 connected by a sprocket chain 22 with the aforesaid sprocket-wheel 20, so that as the Sheller operates, the cob-conveyer is driven through the described gearing. The sprocket wheel 2O has rigidly secured thereto the bevel gear wheel 23, which meshes With the bevel gear wheel 24 secured on the farther end of the shaft 17 already described, which has secured thereon at the center of the trough the sprocket wheel 25, over which runs the sprocket chain 26 carrying the scraper bars 27.

At the under side of the upper end of the trough 15 are bolted or riveted a pair of angular sheet-metal plates 28, which, coperating with the bottom of the trough, form guides for the plate 29 sliding beneath the upper end of the trough. This plate is held thrust outward under spring pressure by a pair of helically-coiled contractile springs 30 which have their upper ends held by the hooks 31 secured to the upper end of the outside of the trough 15. Their inner ends are secured to the eye-bolts 32, which have their threaded ends extending through apertures in the equalizing bar 33 which is pivoted at 34 to the under side of the lower end of the plate 29. It may be noted, as a matter of description, that the under side of the plate 29 is provided with a central longitudinal groove to accommodate the corresponding central longitudinal groove formed in the bottoni of the trough to accommodate the chain 26. The wing-nuts 35 screwed on the ends of the eye-bolts 32 serve to regulate the tension of the springs 30. Riveted to the under side of the upper end of the plate 29 is the forked casting 36, which has the bearing ears 37 in which is secured the shaft 38, on which the centrally-grooved roller 39 is journaled, the to accommodate the central groove being links of the chain 26. With the construction that the tension of return trough is made shorter v end.V

Ichain and the return trough,

taut throughout its run. As already pointed out, with this construction of belt-tightener, the tension of the chain is substantially the same on both runs despite the fact that it is driven from the lower end, and no vdifficulty is found withvcobs getting between the under side of the top run of the chain. and the bottom of the trough.

To prevent the chain on its return run from acting on the cobs beneath it and tending to tear down the pile accumulated, we preferably provide a shallow return-trough 40, which is constructed of sheet-metal and is secured in place by riveting it to the bars 4l, which in turn are riveted to the sides of the Ptrough 15. The sides of the return trough are out away at the ends 42 and 43, which: are turned outward as shown, and these ends terminate short of the ends of the trough 15 at both thevtop and bottom. The atr the upper end to prevent the liability of cobs lgetting between thev chain and the top of the return trough at the upper end, and it is shorter than the main trough at the lower end, so that if any cobs should get between the they will drop out before reaching the gearing at the lower While we have shown and described our inventiony as embodied 1n the form which we at present consider best adapted to carry out 4 its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of some modifications, and that we do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

other ends of said What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, 1s:

Al. In a belt tightener, the combination with a stationary member provided with a guide way, o-f a movable member sliding in said way, an equalizing bar pivoted to the movable member, and a pair of springs acting on the ends of said bar.

2. In a belt tightener, the combination with a stationary member provided with a guide way, of a movable member sliding in said way, an equalizing bar pivotedA to the movable member, a pair of springs acting on the ends of said bar, and means for adjusting the tension of said springs.

In a belt tightener, the combination with a stationary member provided with a guide way, of a movable member sliding in said way, an equalizing bar pivoted to the movable member, a pairl of helically coiled contractile springs secured at one end to the stationary member, hook rods secured to the springs at one end and having their other ends threaded andv passed through apertures in the ends of the equalizing bar, and nuts on said threaded ends engaging the equalizing bar.

Ink witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and aHiXed our seals, this 3rd day of March, A. D. l9l7.

JOHN H. GILMA'N. ALBERT E. GILMAN. Witnesses:

AUGUST LEDRIGH, FRED E. IRIoN.

Copies of thishpatent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D.- C. 

